This invention generally relates to at least partially coated cereal pieces exhibiting superior breakage resistance and bowl life as compared to traditional uncoated cereal pieces.
Different types of edible food coatings are known including relatively heavy and thick coatings of various materials (e.g., bread crumbs, potato batter, tempura, etc.) as well as various flours or starch-based coatings that are usually applied as a relatively thin batter thereby forming a much thinner coating, which can be substantially transparent after application to the food substrate. The thinner coatings are then cooked, further cooked if parfried, or otherwise thermally processed. This latter type of coating is extensively used on commercially prepared french fry potatoes, where they are often referred to as “clear coats” due to their unobtrusive and, in some cases, virtually unnoticeable visual characteristic. However, clear coats formulated for french fry products do not typically adhere to wheat based substrates.
Applicants presently believe that cereal pieces have been known since about 1863. The first reported cereal pieces were derived from granulets and were eventually named granola.
Applicants presently believe that cereal pieces have been known since about 1863. The first reported cereal pieces were derived from granulets and were eventually named granola. The early cereal pieces consisted of heavy nuggets from bran and the outer husk of a grain that is removed when making flour. Later, in about 1906, W.K. Kellogg developed toasted cornflakes. In 1924, GENERAL MILLS® created the well-known WHEATIES® cereal. Later, GENERAL MILLS® began using the “puffing gun” to heat grains such as rice until they puffed up into crunchy spheres. It is believed the first “puffed” cereal to be marketed was named KIX® available from GENERAL MILLS®. After KIX® was marketed, a new process called shredding was used to make cereal pieces. This resulted in Shredded Wheat™ cereal. By the middle 1950s, cereal manufacturers began adding sugar to cereal pieces to sweeten the taste and to attract younger consumers.
Cereal pieces coated with sweeteners and color enhancers have been known for quite some time. However, traditional coated and uncoated cereal pieces are easily broken in processing, while packaged, or after dispensing. Whether the cereal pieces are used in breakfast cereal foods or snack mixes, past cereal pieces experience significant breakage during blending, packaging and distribution. Breakfast cereal foods and snack mixes are traditionally prepared by blending various cereal pieces, fruits, sweeteners, pretzels, croutons, crackers, nuts and the like. During this blending process, traditional cereal pieces frequently break resulting in multiple smaller “crumbs” of cereal pieces. These “crumbs” from the blending process are undesirable to the consumer and therefore are generally not packaged and distributed.
Also, traditional coated cereal pieces often experience significant breakage during distribution. At various stages of the distribution process, the cereal packages are handled causing traditional cereal pieces to break during handling to form more undesirable “crumbs,” which are ultimately seen by the end consumer.
A consumer opening breakfast cereal or snack mixes containing traditional cereal pieces, usually discovers “crumbs” of cereal pieces and is generally dissatisfied. This dissatisfaction may result in poor customer loyalty to these products and may ultimately result in decreased sales.
Accordingly, there is a significant need for a substantially invisible composition that, when applied to the external surface of cereal pieces, imparts significantly enhanced durability to cereal pieces. Additionally, there is a significant need for inexpensive, easily produced, and easily distributed, significantly more desirable, coated cereal pieces having superior ability to retain its texture and strength in milk or other liquid while retaining the flavor and appearance similar to uncoated cereal pieces.